Message From An Older Republican

I don't know, does my being 61 years old qualify me as "older"?
My sister is 64. My kid brother is a mere toddler at 57. It certainly plops us in the middle of a demographic that has been a hard sell for Ron Paul, the "Baby Boomers".

And if I don't qualify, how about my mother and father-in-law, both in their eighties?
Or how about my 93 year old neighbor Doris, who let me put up a 3'x4' “Ron Paul 2012” sign in here yard.

We are all Ron Paul supporters.

My mother has been a lifelong Republican, Christian evangelical, born and raised in the middle of the Bible Belt.

The folks down at the Ron Paul headquarters in Ankeny, Iowa probably remember her. She was the white-haired lady that was banging at their door one Saturday morning and wondering why no one answered. (The hours that were posted on the door were left over from the previous tenet but she didn't know that.) She came back later and scolded them for not being open on time. "It looks bad for Ron Paul. Unprofessional. People might think he's dropped out."

Mom gets angry at the mainstream media just like the rest of us. She sputters and fumes about how “They” are scared to death of Ron Paul. And she gets frustrated with her peers who can't seem to see past the propaganda.

So the question is, if Ron Paul is a candidate who only appeals to young people, why are WE the exception?

I actually had a reporter ask me that question. I laughed and said that maybe it was because I was “young at heart”. I was joking then, but now that I have had more time to think about it, I'm not so sure.

Maybe if being “young at heart” has something to do with having an open mind, I wasn't that far off. Humility is a virtue. Humility doesn't mean that you have low self esteem, that you are unsure of yourself, or are unsure of the things that you know; it simply means that you still believe that someone else might have something to teach you. But in practical terms, maybe it just means that I have never been been comfortable with any of the politically correct models of the world. I have never been satisfied with the glib explanations offered by the liberal/conservative paradigm.

I could never fully buy in to the status quo because I just had too much intellectual integrity. Like Galileo, I could not dismiss the evidence of my own eyes, no matter how much it would have simplified my life.

Unfortunately, this seems to be a common trait among Ron Paul supporters. I say unfortunately because it also seems to be a fairly UNcommon trait in the general population.

In 2007 I thought that we MIGHT be on the verge of a tidal wave, or maybe I should say, an avalanche. If there were enough people out there like myself and my family, all it would take is getting the word out about Ron Paul, and the face of American politics would be changed forever.

It did not take me long to become disillusioned.
Let’s face it. The avalanche never happened, and the low hanging fruit has long since been gathered.

Most of my peers (the older Republicans) are good people. They believe in self-reliance and personal responsibility. They aren’t looking for a handout. They are willing to work for their prosperity.

But converting them to Ron Paul will involve a lot more than waving a sign or shouting “End the Fed” at a passing car.

Let me explain.

My generation has been lied to since we first toddled off to Kindergarten. We have had propaganda pounded into our skulls for decades, and it hasn't gotten any better as we have gotten older. Every time we caught a glimpse through the matrix; IF we were ever brave enough or stupid enough to mention it, we got a cold slap in the face.

The early Boomers got to ride a demographic wave of prosperity for decades. Assuming that we kept our mouths shut, bought into the system, didn't mention the emperor’s nakedness; we were rewarded by good paying jobs. We could be managers, supervisors, and executives over the late boomers, and everyone could benefit from the incredible wealth brought on by cheap energy and exploding technology.

We were told that we were extraordinarily blessed (true) and that our prosperity had come at the expense of the majority of humanity who lived in poverty (false). Capitalism, we were told, was synonymous with greed.
Before we could be forgiven for our prosperity we must acknowledge our guilt and the debts we owed to so many others.

We owed reparations to the great grandchildren of slaves. It was OUR fault that they lived in ghettos. We OWED them the Civil Rights Act and the “War on Poverty” and “affirmative action”.

We OWED the people of Viet Nam the lives and limbs of America's young soldiers (mostly OUR lives and limbs), even if it meant forcing them into slave armies.

We OWED our elders Social Security and then Medicare. We OWED the Israelites a country of their own. We OWED the starving third world nations aid by the billions.

To pay our debts we wrote blank checks to the federal government. When that wasn't enough we let the Federal Reserve write the blank checks for us.
We were told that the national debt really didn't mean anything anyway.

We were told that the U.S. Constitution was only there to protect criminals or homosexuals or communists or atheists or women who wanted abortions.

Anyone who opposed any of this was a bigot, a Nazi, unpatriotic, or at the very least incredibly selfish and ungrateful.

And when all that we could give still wasn't enough to eliminate poverty and disease and racism from the world, we were told it was because WE had sin in our hearts.

Oh, They didn't use the word “sin”, but that was the message.
For what is “unconscious” racism or sexism or ageism if not the modern equivalent of original sin?

And now we are told that to be a good person we must also cleanse ourselves of the unrighteousness of “nationalism”, become a citizen of the world, give up our greenhouse gas-producing cars and light bulbs, give up our jobs to people in India or China or Korea or Mexico or work for less pay, fewer benefits, and longer hours.

And then 9/11 came along and gave us something else to worry about, but it also gave the demagogues an opportunity to redirect our growing anger and frustration.
They pushed all of our primal buttons.
Now any one who opposed their agenda was not just unpatriotic, but also a fool and a coward.

But the wars dragged on, the market crashed and with it our life savings and any dream of retiring.

But our joints are starting to ache and we can't remember phone numbers and names don't come to mind as quickly as they used to. And to top it all off, our company is looking to downsize or offshore or re-organize or merge.

We are older “Republicans” because we know that the only alternative stinks to high Heaven.
We are mad as hell and we don't have a clue what to do about it.
We have too many people giving us too many alternative explanations and too many “solutions”, and none of them ring very true.
But the last thing we need is for somebody to come along and tell us AGAIN how it is all OUR fault and how OBVIOUS it should have been that the people we voted for were actually evil or greedy or stupid or (worse) that WE have been evil or greedy or stupid.

See, if you want to vent your frustrations at us, go ahead,... and lose.

But if you want to “Restore America Now”, you’re going to have to practice a little empathy.
WE aren’t the enemy.
WE are the victims of the enemy.

The conspiracy has always thrived on turning us against one another; white against black, women against men, Democrat against Republican, young against old.

The conspiracy took over the media and academia before we were even out of diapers. And unless you are part of our generation, you will never know what it feels like to unlearn five decades of brainwashing. You will never know the pain of realizing that you have wasted your life destroying your own country.

So be gentle. Be kind. Be friendly.
We are on your side, we just don’t know it yet.
We don’t need to understand the Federal Reserve as much as we need to know that you CARE.

And if we can feel THAT, we will give you the time to explain all the rest.
We really DO need each other.
“We the People” always have.

It is not the younger generation's job to convince you, though. It should be a matter of common sense and decency. The older generation should be convincing the younger, and warning them of the dangers. The older generation did have a better education in history.

I'm already convinced. The consensus is that Ron Paul gets more support from young people than older people. It seems to me that if we want him elected, we need more support from the boomers. The only way I know for that to happen is for supporters of any age (I include myself as much of my sphere of influence is younger boomers) to convince them that what much of what they have believed politically all their lives is not true.

You are right that the older generation should know what is going on and properly lead the younger generation. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case. That leaves the younger generation to lead the way. I am merely agreeing with the original poster that heated argument will almost certainly not sway the minds of the older voters, while there is a chance that reason will.

I would disagree that the older generation had a better education in history. We did have a fabulous education in historical propaganda, though.

It is the younger people's job because someone has to do it. Look, I'm Gen X, so I lived through some of the same things as boomers and can identify. But I can't excuse, not when there is a choice and a chance, and current events are undeniably evident.

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I've come to find that my initial reaction in a debate when someone says something I disagree with, is not to dismiss them and their argument, but to question why they hold that position.

when I first heard/saw Ron Paul back in 2007 in a debate, my initial impression of him was that here was some pip-squeaky southern guy, who sounded crazy- just rambling.... also for some weird reason, I thought he was from Alabama...

but then he started to say some things, that although I thought sounded crazy, my reaction wasn't just, "Oh he's crazy," but rather "that sounds crazy, why does he think that." Then he started to talk about the reasons for his beliefs- that he doesn't vote or support things that are unconstitutional. He was able to describe his path of logic and it all made sense. A light bulb went on. I could go from one issue to another- I had a road map that was able to help me determine the logical conclusion....

Also, for some reason the war/foreign policy issue also stuck out to me. When I was in high school/during Bush's first 4-6 years, I supported him, and the war. I argued with people who opposed him and the war. At the time I could tell the pro-war argument was far weaker, but I never wanted to admit it- I just bought into the weapons of mass destruction spiel. By the time Ron Paul came along in 2007, I think I was already deep down against the war, but I needed someone to show me how I as a conservative could oppose it and still be a conservative I guess....

His reference to 'saturation' is key to understanding the pain we're in now and through the near future.

We can stop this easily if we can unite people in recognizing this systematic problem. The whole 'conspiracy theory' mantra is the only defense this paradigm has and those who benefit will undoubtedly defend it in any possible way, all the way up to letting the house of cards fall apart prematurely. This is the inevitable eventuality anyway.

This isn't a conspiracy as it is accused. It is simply advantage and privilege brokering among the well connected in a triggered cascade of organically self perpetuating top-down usurious global enterprise. The illusion of conspiracy comes naturally to an outside observer. Who or what triggered or perpetuates this is irrelevant. In many ways, we all do through participation and ignorance of the potential that governance has to put a stop to it.

All of the problems and perceptions are a result of (mostly ignorant) complicity with this nasty evolution of power affairs. Since this has been amorphous and left unchecked for decades the eventualities are now biting back in widespread debt misery -- saturation.

So yeah, the OP has it dead right. Only a very few people are responsible for the booms and busts and nearly all of them don't realize it. Hence, we shouldn't be attacking each other. We should be educating each other that we've been taken for a ride collectively and only a tiny minority of passengers have noticed it until only very recently.

This is a tough sell though. Much much more complicated and interconnected than any regular person who has no interest in studying this will consider. Everyone just needs to accept that and persuade as many as possible of their power to really correct the fundamental tenets of the entire socio-monetary system. Something Dr. Paul understands thoroughly even while preaching Austrian Econ which is unworkable without the inroads of constitutional currency breaking the pyramid apart.

I would call it a pathology as well. Or more specifically, socioeconomic cancer.
A self reorganizing force drawing its support from the unknowing host.

In reference to the US, the host is dying. The internet obviously has had a huge impact, but this slow death as the cancer abandons us for new hosts is responsible for our 'waking up' if that would suffice.

People really do care about consistency and integrity.
But they have seen so many smiling psychopaths who look and sound so "honest" that they have almost given up on trying to find an honest politician.

And unfortunately that's why so many people resort to a candidates professed "religion" to decide if they have character.

Unfortunately, psychopaths are also the worlds best hypocrites.

But hitting them with Ron Paul's proven record of honesty, even when it cost him politically, has to help.

I wish there were a short cut. I wish that TV ads and super brochures in the mail could do it all. I'm not saying they aren't GOOD or even needed, but they aren't enough for most people.
That's why a super brochure or even a slim jim HANDED to a person is so much more effective.

Sure, some people will slam the door in your face.
But if you SMILE and really CARE about the person you're contacting, you'll be surprised how much that will help.

Thank you for sharing your perspective! It really has enlightened me to understand the generation gap we are facing. I hope more people will LISTEN to figure how we can educate and bring more people to this movement rather than creating more divisiveness.

Baby Boomers, I mean what could we expect? The only source for information was state influenced, controlled, contrived media. What else could the end result be other than blind affirmation that everything was going great. We just have to find a way to get those "older" citizens on the side of liberty. I have convinced my parents, well they have always been skeptical of our governments intentions so It wasn't difficult. We all have to make a plead to our older family members and ask that they talk to their friends as well. We have to make a stand before it becomes so painfully obvious to everyone that we live in a police state, otherwise I fear we will have gone too far and never get back to liberty.

—

The bold effort the present bank had made to control the government ... are but premonitions of the fate that await the American people should they be deluded into a perpetuation of this institution or the establishment of another like it-Andrew Jackson

"The conspiracy took over the media and academia before we were even out of diapers. And unless you are part of our generation, you will never know what it feels like to unlearn five decades of brainwashing. You will never know the pain of realizing that you have wasted your life destroying your own country.

So be gentle. Be kind. Be friendly.
We are on your side, we just don’t know it yet.
We don’t need to understand the Federal Reserve as much as we need to know that you CARE."

—

"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." - Romans 12:18

You said . . .
We are mad as hell and we don't have a clue what to do about it.

Vote Ron Paul or Barack Obama. Thats what you do about it.
Either the GOP will LISTEN!! or dissolve. Either thing is better than where we are. I have a different post explaining this logic and it is logical.

You also said . .
And unless you are part of our generation, you will never know what it feels like to unlearn five decades of brainwashing.
You are correct and I do feel for you guys. I am VERY glad you see it and wish the rest of folks your age did, cause most(70%) do NOT see that they're brainwashed.

Lastly, you said . .
You will never know the pain of realizing that you have wasted your life destroying your own country.

This single thing here that you said is THE SINGLE major issue with this country.
Humans cannot process the stress with this realization. It mimics PTSD.
The generations that WON WWII and fought and died in Korea and Viet Nam CANNOT come to the realization that they were DUPED!!!!
The EXACT same thing is happening NOW with 9/11 and Iraq/afghanistan. The difference NOW, is that we have other forms of media and ways to get informed instead of the old CBS, NBC and ABC only.

This might be morbid, but I told my 20 yr. old son yesterday that as the older folks die off, things will get better cause his generation doesnt get brainwashed as easily, PRIMARILY because of the internet and social sites which allow folks to communicate vs. the communication of the 1940's, 50's and on through the early 90's.

Thank you so much for your thoughts! I am 43 and am having a heck of a time with my older family members getting them to realize the wisdom of Dr. Paul.
I really think it has to do with pride more than anything else. In order to follow Dr. Paul, a person has to be honest with one's self and admit that they have been lied to and hoodwinked for a very long time. I think that is just too much for some folks to accept; so they keep on the only path they have ever known. I have liberal and "conservative" family members and they all act the same in their rejection of Dr. Paul.
I will continue to chip away at them with love and patience. I hope that is enough to get the job done.

Why does the mention of Ron Paul's name stir up such hate? Not among all, some have been fighting the good fight for years, but I can't even have a conversation with one of the neocons without being called names. I agree that there was heavy societal pressure to conform, there still is. It's just that there is one huge difference now, now we all know that the emporer has no clothes and they are still spending their grandchildren's money and giving away their grandchildren's civil liberties. Why?

When the tribe declared "war" it was a matter of life and death, literally, for everyone and everything. A man who did not fight was shunned not only by his neighbors but by his mate. (This is why the term "war" should not be used so lightly wars should only be declared after painful and protracted debate.)

To us Ron Paul is the "peace" candidate. To the GOP poisoned by the neocon propaganda, Ron Paul is the candidate of cowardice and abandonment.

They did a good job equating peace with weakness, that's for sure. But don't they remember Reagan, Reagan said "we occupy no country". He told us that american's were better than that. I'll agree that the war issue is a block, but neocon hate for anyone who challenged the status quo goes back further than Ron Paul. Pat Buchanan was hated more. Belive me, I was there. Buchanan was a non-interventionalist as well, but he did't have the "peace candidate" label.

..."My generation has been lied to since we first toddled off to Kindergarten. We have had propaganda pounded into our skulls for decades, and it hasn't gotten any better as we have gotten older"

..."The conspiracy took over the media and academia before we were even out of diapers. And unless you are part of our generation, you will never know what it feels like to unlearn five decades of brainwashing. You will never know the pain of realizing that you have wasted your life destroying your own country."

The PHYSICAL PAIN I went through when I realized the truth sent me into a depression for a year. Not only the lies themselves, but the PEOPLE who are still spreading the lies... people that I admired, and now find despicable, caused great pain.

Thanks so much for putting it all into words.

—

Thomas Jefferson: “Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever."

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